Go with me, if you would, to
Revelation chapter four. Revelation four. Last Wednesday
night, we started looking at a picture of Christ throughout
this book of Revelation. I in no way mean to insinuate
that this is the fullness of what our Lord has to say in this
book. This is a picture of Christ. That's what this is. This is
a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ that I believe the Lord has allowed
me to see. As I mentioned to you last time,
a brother was asking me a question about this book and I just started
reading it to answer his question. And in reading it, I saw Our
beautiful story, the beautiful story, the old, old story, that
same old story of the gospel that we see in all of the word. That's what we're looking for
in all of the word. I've told you this before, but
I love the, the, um, time that a dear brother named Bob Poncer,
he's gone to be with the Lord now, but Brother Larry Criss
was about to stand up and preach, and Bob Poncer came up behind
him just before he was gonna stand up, and he said, Brother
Larry, he said, do you have something new and stale for us tonight,
or old and fresh? What's it gonna be, new and stale,
or old and fresh? And that's what this is. Tell
me the old, old story of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, last time we saw that chapter
one tells us who this whole book is about. This is the revelation
of Jesus Christ. That's who the whole book is
about. And chapter one also told us That he is the one who wrote
this. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
one who wrote it. John pinned what was said to
him and what was shown to him. But our Lord Jesus Christ is
the author of this. He told John, I want you to send
this out to my people, my churches. He said, that's who this is too.
And it's because I want them to know something. I have something
to say to them and I want them to know it. And in chapters two
and three, this is the first thing he said to him. He said,
you're all centers. First thing he said, you're all
centers. I had, he said, I have somewhat
against you all centers. So he told John to write. He
said, I want you to write the story of the great things that
I have done for sinners. That's what the book of Revelation
is. The great things that Christ has done for sinners. Now our
picture begins in chapter four with the beginning. In the beginning,
if you look at chapter four, verse two, it says, John said,
and immediately I was in the spirit and behold, a throne was
set in heaven. And one sat on the throne and
he that sat was to look upon like a Jasper and a star sardine
stone. And there was a rainbow round
about the throne, a rainbow in sight, like unto an Emerald.
Verse five and out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings
and voices. And there were seven lamps of
fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of
God. Seven is the number of perfection. It's the number of completeness.
It's the number of God. Verse six and before the throne,
there was a sea of glass like under crystal and in the midst
of the throne and round about the throne were four beasts full
of eyes before and behind verse eight. And the four beasts had
each of them six wings about him and they were full of eyes
within and they rest not day and night saying, Holy, Holy,
Holy Lord, God almighty, which was and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory
and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth
forever and ever, the four and 20 elders fall down before Him
that sat on the throne and worship Him, that liveth forever and
ever and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou
has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created. God was God in the beginning. God was God in the beginning. That's where this starts. He
was worshiped. He was worshiped. He was praised. He was in need of nothing. He was God almighty seated on
his throne, the creator, the owner, the sustainer of all things,
all things. And that was before anything
was made that was made. He was in his fullness known
unto God where all of his purposes and all of his works from the
beginning. This is. Something that is so
difficult to get ahold of, but it's so God does not change. He does not change. We change
hopefully for the better. We're trying to grow and God
does not change. He was complete from the beginning. Perfect. Nothing has ever changed
with God. Nothing has ever surprised God. Nothing. Everything was ordered
from the beginning. And in his purpose, he purposed
to create an earth and he purposed to put people on that earth.
And in his purpose, he allowed those people to fall into sin. He allowed that. In his, according
to his purpose, according to his will, it was not against
the will of God that his people fell into sin. They did not overthrow
his will. He allowed that, but in his purpose,
he chose to redeem particular people from that creation out
of that fall. out of that sin back to himself.
So he chose his election of people that he would save. And he gave
those people to Christ because he was the only man who could
redeem them. The only one our picture shows us that in chapter
five, here's the election. And I enjoyed it then. I enjoy it now. This is just glorious to say,
this is God's people. And to think, you know, to think,
we constantly say these two words, why me? Why me? The flesh immediately says, well,
I'm a pretty good person, I can see why me. The reality is, honestly,
why any of us? Why would God write our names
down and give us to his son? Just amazing. The mind and purpose
and will of God, his kindness, Have you seen us? He's so kind. But chapter five, verse one says,
I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book
written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And
I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy
to open the book and to loose the seals thereof who is worthy. To open and read and see the
names of the souls that the father wrote down and no man in heaven,
nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book,
neither to look there on. And I wept much because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look there on. And one of the elders said unto
me, weep, not behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root
of David hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven
seals thereof. And I beheld in low in the midst
of the throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the
elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns
and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth
into all the earth. And he came, he walked right
up to the throne of God and God the father took that book and
put it in his hands. He came and took the book out
of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when
he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps
and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book
and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, And the
beast and the elders and the number of them was 10,000 times
10,000 and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every
creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I
saying, blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb forever and ever. And
the four beasts said, amen. And the four and 20 elders fell
down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. So we saw God
in the beginning. And we saw the election of the
father placed in the hands of God, the son to redeem all the
souls that he chose. We pick up tonight with chapter
six, chapter six, verse one says, and I saw when the lamb opened
one of the seals and I heard as it were, the noise of thunder,
one of the four beasts saying, come and see. And I saw and behold
a white horse and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown
was given unto him. And he went forth conquering
and to conquer. That's Christ. That's the Lord
Jesus Christ, the conquering King of heaven from before the
foundation of the world. from before the foundation of
the world. He wasn't made king. Won't you make him Lord? What a statement. What a statement. He was not made king. He was born king. He came as
the king that he is. In eternity past, he wore the
crown. He wore the crown for all eternity. And he was the conquering conqueror. That's who he was. Verse three
says, and when he had opened the second seal, I heard the
second beast say, come and see. And there went out another horse
that was red and power was given to him that sat there on to take
peace from the earth and that they should kill one another.
And there was given unto him a great sword. Sin was loosed. Now in him was no sin, but he allowed sin. for the purpose of His purpose,
according to His purpose, to accomplish His purpose. Redemption
was purposed. If He was the Lamb slain before
the foundation of the world, then all of His purpose had to
be carried out for Him to be the Lamb slain. He allowed sin according to His
purpose. Peace was taken. It was taken
from Adam and Eve. You think about that. They were
at peace with God and it was taken. Cain killed his brother. Well, the source of that started
before it ever in time came to them. It came to them and it
started somewhere. Verse five, it says, and when
he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
come and see. And I beheld and lo a black horse. And he that sat on him had a
pair of balances in his hand. Judgment was loosed, weighed
in the balances. Judgment was loosed. Verse seven. And when he'd opened the fourth
seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see.
And I looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sat on
him was death. By one man sin entered the world
and what came because of that? Death by sin. His name that sat
on him was death and hell followed with him and power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword
and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth. Sin, judgment, death. Verse nine, and when he'd opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that
were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they
held. War broke out. War broke out
in this, in this peace, God, according to his purpose, allowed
this rebellious war to break out. That's what happened. That's
what the word of God tells us all through it. A rebellion took
place according to the purpose of God, according to, according
to the allowing of God. Verse 12, it says, and I beheld
when he'd opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake,
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. These stars fell like a fig tree,
cast her figs, shaken with a mighty wind. Chapter one says that the
stars are the angels. It's what the end of chapter
one told us. We're about to read that it says one third of the
host of the angels fell with the adversary of the Lord. Fell
into that rebellion with the adversary. Chapter seven says,
But God. But God. The victory was His
before the foundation of the world. That rebellion may have
taken place. It may have taken place. But
God. The adversary, all the hosts
that fell with him, they were no match for the conquering conqueror. Aren't you so thankful that's
how the story goes? I was listening to a man not
too long ago. Every now and then I'll see somebody on the internet
or who knows what, and I'll listen to them just long enough for
them to prove to me I don't need to be listening to you. And a
man was talking about the struggles that our great God and high King,
he didn't word it that way, but the struggles that the Lord Jesus,
he just said Jesus, but was having with Satan constantly ruining
everything he has planned for you. How we're gonna have to
ward him off and ward that off so he can do these great things
for us. Aren't you so glad that's not how the story goes? They were no match for Him. One of the songs that we sing
says, one little word shall fail them. I am. They had this rebellion, this
great rebellion. The adversary gained a third
of the host. Let's have this rebellion. The
conquering conqueror said, it's not happening. It's not happening. Not only could he not be overthrown,
he's sitting on the throne and he'll never be overthrown. That's how the story goes. It's
a true story. And not only could he not be
overthrown, none of his people who he sealed could be overthrown. That's how it was up there. The
whole host, you know, they, This whole host it, it first Timothy
five, I believe it is talks about the elect angels that were chosen to be sealed. That's how it is up there. That's
how it is down here. That's our hope is that we're
sealed. Ephesians one talks about us being sealed with that Holy
spirit of promise. So chapter seven, verse one,
it says, and after these things, I saw four angels standing on
the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the
earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the
sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending
from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried
with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given
to hurt the earth and the sea. saying, hurt not the earth, neither
the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them
which were sealed. And there were sealed in hundred
and 40 and 4,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Verse
nine says, after this, I be held in low, a great multitude, which
no man could number. Even of the angels, it says that
when our Lord comes back, he is bringing an innumerable company
of angels with him. Just in angels, that's a multitude
no man can number. After this, I beheld and lo,
a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and
kindreds and people and tongues. They stood before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God. When they saw that rebellion
take place, and when they saw the conquering conqueror conquer
it, don't you know that heaven cried, Thank God? Thank God. They cried with a loud voice
saying salvation to our God, which sit upon the throne and
unto the lamb. And all the angels stood round
about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and
fell before the throne on their faces. And they worship God,
all those elect angels. Worship God saying, amen, blessing
and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be unto our God forever and ever, amen. They cried, thank God he
kept us. What are we gonna cry? Guess
what we're gonna cry when we're there with him? Thank God He
kept us. Thank God He saved us from this
sinful rebellion that the adversary started and spread among all
the people. Even the angels cry that. Thank
God, thank God. All right, here is the battle
that was fought. That great rebellion that took
place, all right? Here's what happened in it. Chapter
eight. Verse one. And when he had opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God and to them
were given seven trumpets. Seven is the number of perfection.
Seven is the number of completeness. Seven, seven, seven. God's number. Verse six and the seven angels,
which had the seven trumpets were prepared. Seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded and there
followed hail and fire mingled with blood and they were cast
upon the earth and the third part of the trees was burned
up and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded
and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into
the sea and the third part of the sea became blood. And the
third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life
died. And the third part of the ships
were destroyed and the third angel sounded and there fell
a great star from heaven burning as it were a lamp. And it fell
upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters.
And the name of the star is called wormwood. That means bitter.
And the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men
died of the waters because they were made bitter. And the fourth
angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten,
and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars.
So as the third part of them was darkened and the day shown
not for a third part of it in the night, likewise, and I beheld
and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with
a loud voice, woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth
by reason of the other voices of the trumpet and of the three
angels, which are yet to sound. The third part, you kept saying
the third part, the third part of the host that rebelled lost
the battle and they died spiritually. They died, Christ extinguished
all spiritual life in them. They became beings of darkness,
beings of death. They were cast down and it was
just death, just darkness and death. And with that taking place,
this heralding angel cried, woe to the inhabitants of the earth for what's come down. Chapter
nine, verse one says, and I saw, and the fifth angel sounded,
and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was
given the key of the bottomless pit. Hold your place right there
and turn with me to Isaiah 14. Isaiah 14, verse 12. It says,
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?
How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations? For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high.
I will, I will, I will, I will. You know what you call that?
Free will. Man's own will, the will that
man thinks he has. I will do this. I will do this. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, no,
you won't. Verse 15, yet thou shalt be brought down to hell
to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly
look upon thee and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that
made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, that made
the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof,
that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings
of the nations, even all them, lie in glory, every one in his
own house. But thou art cast out of thy
grave like an abominable branch, And as the raiment of those that
are slain thrust through with a sword that go down to the stones
of the pit as a carcass trodden under feet, thou shalt not be
joined with them in burial because thou hast destroyed thy land
and slain thy people. The seed of evildoers shall never
be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children
for the iniquity of their fathers. that they do not rise, nor possess
the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I
will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off
from Babylon the name and remnant and son and nephew, saith the
Lord. I will also make it a possession for the bitter and pools of water. I will sweep it with the bism
of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts. I will is the wrong thing to
say to the conquering conqueror. He said, no, you won't. No, you
won't. Look with me at Luke 10. Luke chapter 10, verse 18. And he said unto them,
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. He beheld it because
he's the one who did it. All right, go with me back to
Revelation 9. Verse one says, and the fifth
angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth,
and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit, and he
opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the
pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the
air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit, and there
came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth, and unto them
was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. That's
his evil spirits, that third of the host that fell with him.
In the next few verses here, they go on to describe their
wretched state and the torment that they bring, and they have.
Verse 12 says, one woe is past and behold, there come Two woes
more hereafter. One of the great woes has passed.
That fall, woe to the inhabitants of the earth. Sin has come down. Verse 13, it says, and the sixth
angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel, which had
the trumpet, loose the four angels, which are bound in the great
river Euphrates. Euphrates means the good and
abounding river. That third of the host came down,
but Christ sent ministers of his to do his bidding along with
them. He said, you lose the four angels
which are bound in the great river Euphrates. You lose those
that come from the good and abounding river. Verse 16 says, and the
number of the army of the horsemen were 200,000,000. And I love
this line right here. John said, I heard the number
of them. This great army of God that came
for the protection of his people. And John said, I heard him. Psalm
91 verse 11 says, he shall give his angels charge over thee to
keep thee in all thy ways. You believe that? That's what
he said. Psalm 103, 20 says, bless the
Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of his word. Just whatever he says.
Hebrews 1, 14 says, they are sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation. And along with all of those mighty
guardians that he sent, chapter 10, verse 1 says, I saw another
mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow
was upon his head. When John saw that throne in
chapter 4, what was around it? A rainbow. He said He had a rainbow, it
was around His head, and He goes on to say, His face was as it
were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire. That's Christ
Himself. Christ Himself. That's who appeared
to Adam and Eve in the garden. That's who appeared to them in
the garden. Christ Himself. Verse two says, and he had in
his hand a little book open. This one was open. And he set
his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth
and cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth, the lion
of the tribe of Judah. And when he had cried, seven
thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had
uttered their voices, I was about to write and I heard a voice
from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven
thunders uttered and write them not. And the angel which I saw
stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven
and swear by him that liveth forever and ever who created
heaven and the things that are therein and created the earth
and the things that therein are, and created the sea and the things
which are therein, that there should be time no longer." Jesus
Christ created the heaven and everything in them, the earth
and everything in them, the sea and everything in them. Without
Him was not anything made that was made. So what that's saying
is, because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself. He swore what He would do. He
made a covenant and swore what He would do by His own name.
Verse 7, But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, which
is Christ Himself, when He shall begin to sound, the mystery of
God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants
the prophets. This seventh angel, Christ Himself,
in His coming, When He comes, the mystery of God is gonna be
finished. The mystery of godliness will
be accomplished when He comes. Great is the mystery of godliness.
When He comes, God will be manifest in the flesh, justified in the
spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory. The Lamb slain will be
slain. when He comes. Verse 8, And the
voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said,
Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel
which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto
the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. And
he said unto me, Take it and eat it up, and it shall make
thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it
up. And it was in my mouth, sweet as honey. And as soon as I had
eaten it, my belly was bitter. That little book is the message
of the gospel. It's the Word of God. It's the
gospel that we preach. It makes the inside of a man
bitter over his own sin. As soon as the gospel comes to
a man, he's bitter over his own sin. He will mourn over it. He'll
be pained over it. It'll be a bitterness to him
because of what he sees in himself. But once that bitterness is seen
and felt immediately, the message brings the sweetness of Christ.
The one who bore that bitterness, as soon as that bitterness is
seen, as soon as it's felt, the gospel cries, Christ took the
bitterness. He took it from you, he bore
it for you. David said, just hearing that,
he said, that's sweeter than honey to my mouth. That's the
sweetest thing. Verse 11, he said unto me, Thou
must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues
and kings." He said, you go tell them to taste and see. He said,
you go tell them that the law came by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ. Because he came, the glory of
the gospel came. Because he came. Because He Himself
came, the glory of this whole story came. That old song says,
as poor, wretched sinners, no God and no hope, yeah, no hope,
it seemed there was no one to help. But God, in His mercy,
salvation supplied, emptied heaven, and came down Himself, and a
ransom was found. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. So by the obedience of one, shall
many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. He said, John, that's the message. That is the message. And he said,
you must go and preach it again. Go preach it again. Go preach
it before peoples, nations, tongues, kings. Preach it over and over
again. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. Call His name Jesus. He'll save
His people from their sins. All right, if the Lord's willing,
we'll continue the picture another time. Let's all stand together.